Purpose:
The purpose of the Veterans In-State Service Shared Leave Pool (VISSLP) is to allow employees to voluntarily donate leave to be used as shared leave for a veteran to attend medical appointments or treatments for a service connected injury or disability; or an employee’s spouse is a veteran who requires assistance while attending medical appointments or treatments for a service connected injury or disability per RCW 41.04.
Administration:
The VISSLP is administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs in consultation with the Office of Financial Management.
Participation:
Participation in the VISSLP must, at all times, be voluntary on the part of the donating and receiving employee.
Eligibility Requirements:
An employee is eligible to receive shared leave from the VISSLP if:
- the employee is a current member of the uniformed services or is a veteran as defined under RCW 41.04.005, and is attending medical appointments or treatments for a service connected injury or disability; or
- the employee is a spouse of a current member of the uniformed service or a veteran as defined under RCW 41.04.005 and who is attending medical appointments or treatment for a service connected injury or disability and requires assistance while attending the appointment or treatment.
Donation of Leave to the Pool:
An employee may donate the following types of leave to the pool and under the following conditions:
- Vacation leave: An employee’s request to donate leave may not cause their vacation leave balance to fall below eighty (80) hours after the transfer. For part- time employees, requirements for vacation leave balances are prorated.
- Sick leave: An employee’s proposed donation of sick leave may not cause the employee’s sick leave balance to fall below one hundred seventy-six (176) hours after the transfer.
- Personal holiday: An employee may donate all or part of his or her personal holiday.
An employee who is interested in donating leave to the pool must contact Human Resource Services.
Use of Pool Leave:
An employee using shared leave under the VISSLP continues to be classified as a state employee and receives the same treatment in respect to salary, wages, and employee benefits as the employee would normally receive if using accrued vacation leave or sick leave. Shared leave paid, in combination with an employee's salary, will not exceed the level of the employee's state monthly salary.
An employee who would like to request shared leave from the VISSLP must contact Human Resource Services. The employee must provide a veterans affairs benefits summary letter from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and a copy of "DD Form 214" verifying that:
- The employee has a service connected injury or disability or
- The employee is a spouse of a veteran who requires assistance while attending medical appointments or treatments for a service connected injury or disability.
The VISSLP cannot grant more leave than the leave balance available at the time a request is received by the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Shared leave received from the VISSLP is not included in the five hundred twenty-two (522) days limit specified in RCW 41.04.665.
Abuse of the Pool:
The Evergreen State College and/or the Department of veterans Affairs shall investigate any alleged abuse of the VISSLP and on a finding of wrongdoing, the employee may be required to repay all of the shared leave received from the pool. The only time an employee will have to repay leave credits is when there is a finding of wrongdoing.
Donating Leave to a Specific Employee:
Leave donated to the VISSLP is “pooled" and withdrawn from the pool by employees according to procedures established by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Leave donated cannot be directed to a specific individual. Employees who donate must specify their intent to donate to the veterans' in-state service shared leave pool.
NOTE: Employees who wish to donate their leave to a specific employee should consider donating leave under the shared leave program described in RCW 41.04.665. Please contact Human Resource Services for more information.
Contact Information:
For more information about the program, please contact:
Human Resource Services
Library 3102
360.867.5361 (phone)
360.867.6823 (fax)
Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs
1-800-562-2308
1102 Quince St SE | PO Box 41150
Olympia, WA 98504-1150
Definitions:
Employee: Any classified and exempt staff who is entitled to accrue sick leave or vacation leave and for whom accurate leave records are maintained.
Monthly salary: The monthly salary and special pay and shift differential, or the monthly equivalent for hourly employees. Monthly salary does not include overtime pay, callback pay, standby pay, or performance bonuses.
Service in the uniformed services: The performance of duty on a voluntary or involuntary basis in a uniformed service under competent authority and includes active duty, active duty for training, initial active duty for training, inactive duty training, full-time national guard duty including state-ordered active duty, and a period for which a person is absent from a position of employment for the purpose of an examination to determine the fitness of the person to perform any such duty.
Uniformed services: The armed forces, the army national guard, and the air national guard of any state, territory, commonwealth, possession, or district when engaged in active duty for training, inactive duty training, full-time national guard duty, or state active duty, the commissioned corps of the public health service, the coast guard, and any other category of persons designated by the president of the United States in time of war or national emergency.
Veteran: Has the meaning provided in RCW 41.04.005.
Also see:
Classified Employees Collective Bargaining Agreement
Law Enforcement Employees Collective Bargaining Agreement
RCW 41.04.005
RCW 41.04.665
RCW 41.04.672
Student Support Services Staff Unit Collective Bargaining Agreement
WAC 357-31-750 through 357-31-830